New Delhi: Finance Ministry sources today said on condition of anonymity, there is no scope to change in minimum pay Rs 18,000, recommended by the 7th Pay Commission and approved by the cabinet.

The sources came up with the remark while talking to us about hiking of minimum pay Rs 18,000 by the pay related National Anomaly Committee more than the the cabinet approval of the minimum pay.

Those who will hope over this issue will gain nothing, there is no scope to change in minimum pay Rs 18,000, which was approved by the cabinet, they added.

Replying to a question, the sources said, “The demand of central government employees through National Joint Council of Action (NJAC) for hiking minimum pay Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 may be considered by the National Anomaly Committee but they can do nothing.

He said that the government has decided that recommendations on allowances, other than dearness allowance, will be examined by a committee.

They said adding “Though government had promised hiking minimum pay after the central government employees unions had threatened to carry out an indefinite strike but now public sector workers demand minimum pay of Rs. 18,000, similar to the central government employees. They now get minimum pay less than Rs 18,000.”

They also told us, “Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), Coal India Limited (CIL) workers set to join the general strike on September 2 for hiking minimum pay of Rs 18,000 equivalent to central government employees.”

“Now, it is generally seen that Public Sector Undertaking employees get less pay than the central government employees and they will demand to hike pay equivalent to central government employees. So, the focus has now shifted to PSUs- whether they would implement a similar pay hike for their employees or not.”

“If they hike pay for their employees, the central government is likely to face difficulty in bearing this extra financial burden. Accordingly, central government employees demand for hiking minimum pay of Rs 18,000 will not be accepted,” they confirmed.

After cabinet nod of 7th Pay Commission recommendations, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said central government employees salaries have to be respectable in comparison to public or private sector.